Thorvin the Dwarf Cleric

I've started playing Dungeons and Dragons. I guess that it isn't really surprising. The idea of playing was always there in the back of my mind and I think that it makes sense with all of the other dumb hobbies I've had over the years (Magic the Gathering and World of Warcraft in particular). It's just funny to me that I started playing here in Korea, but my co-workers said they were going to start and it wasn't something that I could turn down. Anyway, now you know how I'm spending my Thursday nights.

What I learned in Korean today:

Hangul/Pronunciation
저는 공부해야되요/jeo-nun gong-boo-hae-ya-dwae-yo

Translation
I should study.

I took a TOPIK practice exam last night and realized that I am nowhere near as good at Korean than I want be at this point. My real problem is that I just don't know enough vocabulary. So, I've decided to start working a lot harder on it. I have a list of vocab that I need to study and I'm going to start hitting it hard. When the winter TOPIK comes around, I should hopefully be ready.

I'm not dead, by the way.

The past few weeks have been a little hectic for me. At work, I had to do the summer camps we had on top of my regular work schedule, so I have been an absolute mess for the past while. The extra classes ended on Friday though, so now I can finally get back on track with my life, which means going to bed at 4:00AM and sleeping in until 2:00PM the next day.

The Pucheon International Fantastic Film Festival has started.

It started yesterday and runs until the 24th of July. Luckily, I live in walking distance of all the theaters for all the events. I still have to see what movies I will be able to catch, but I took a look at the program and it all seems like good stuff. I want to see if I have the time to watch the live-action Gantz movie in particular. Anyway, you can take a look at the program yourself at the the official Pifan site if you're interested.

The best part about Sundays...

is waking up at 1:00 PM and then realizing it's too early, then going back to sleep and waking up at 4:30.

I have the worst luck with cell phones.

The phone I got right when I got back to Korea decided to malfunction last night. I haven't dropped it or anything, it just stopped working. Luckily, it's on a warranty and they can fix it. Otherwise, I would have to get my fifth phone in the sixteen months at I have lived in Korea.

Yesterday's adventure went well.

Yesterday's adventure ended up being a trip to Apgujeong.  I made it there and back safely in time for work, which was awesome.  However, there were a few mishaps that occurred:

• I got a little lost.  I made it to the stop and with the buses fine.  I just wasn't sure which way it was out of the exit.  So I ended up just walking around, which was fine, except for the fact it was hot and I was carrying all the shit I needed for work.  I ended up just taking a cab, which was the smart choice, since I had walked for half an hour in the wrong direction.
• The bag I wanted was sold out.  I expected it a little, since it said it was sold out online.  I just figured that the actual location might have had a display one that I could have purchased.  They didn't, so I ended up just buying the same bag but in a different color.
• I knocked over three bottles of champagne in front of a Tour Les Jours.  This wasn't my fault though.  Some guy was squeezing by me and he forced me out of the way.  I turned to the side and my backpack ended up knocking the bottles over.  They all shattered on the ground and splattered on four girls who looked very angrily at me.  All I did was say I was sorry.  After standing around for a minute and realizing that no one was coming out from the store, I just walked off.  I feel pretty bad about it, but even if someone came out, I wouldn't have been able to explain the situation.

I might start trying to schedule a trip into the city like this one once a week.  I'm not sure if I'll be able to wake up early enough, but I might as well try.  It'd be nice to get up and do something productive every once in a while.

This calls for an adventure.

So, it's really early in the morning and I don't have to be at work until 3:30 so I feel like I should do something with my day. I'm going to head into the city and buy a new backpack since there's so much time. I'll probably snap a few photos as well. There are a few problems, since I have never taken the bus I'm planning to take. I'm also not sure if the store is still open, but I figure that I might as well.

It looks like my Galaxy Tab plans are on hold.

So about a week and half ago I decided that I would buy myself a Samsung Galaxy Tab.  I was seriously going to meet a friend today and go buy it.  However, it turns out that the Galaxy Tab is considered a phone here and I am unable to have two cell phones under my name.  The most obvious solution is to just cancel the plan I'm already on and just get the Galaxy Tab, but that's a waste of money and the cancellation fee is so high.  Besides, I sort of want to have my phone and the tablet at the same time and keeping them for separate purposes.  I have a few thoughts as to how I can swing this deal, but I have to see.  Maybe I'll just have to wait until next paycheck to figure it out.

The Korean summer is here.

I'm saying this because I woke up to three mosquito bites and I just spend the last five minutes trying to hunt the damn insects in my room. It isn't that humid yet though, and I'm glad it isn't raining like I know how it will be later on in the season, but I just don't enjoy the Korean summer very much. It's just a matter of time until I'm going to be scratching mosquito bites and sweating my ass off nonstop.

I might be one of the laziest persons on the planet.

I really might be.  I'm getting paid this Friday and one of the things I'm thinking about doing with my paycheck is hiring a maid.  It sounds worse than it is, but I really can justify it.  For one thing, the service is actually really cheap and it wouldn't even really set me back much over a month.  Another thing is that they'd probably clean things that I wouldn't even have thought were dirty.  Finally, depending on the service, some of them will actually cook you meals.  I think that's actually the best part.  HOME COOKED MEALS ON TOP OF MY APARTMENT BEING CLEAN!?  That shit's almost too hard to pass up.

I just finished reading Twilight.

I really have been meaning to read these books for a while now. I don't think they're great or anything, but since a shit ton of people have read them, I feel like I should at least know what all the craze is about. I just got through the first book and I'll probably start the next one today. By the end of next week, I should be able to get through all of them. Then I'll probably have something else to talk about with my students besides Harry Potter and which kpop groups I like the most.

I think I'm going to buy a Galaxy Tab.

I'm sure you're thinking, "Don't you already have an iPad?" That's true, but there is all this hype about the Samsung Galaxy 10.1 coming out that I'm really interested in copping one of the 7-inch models. I really would like a 3G capable device and I feel that the 7-inch model is just small enough that I can carry it around everywhere. The price point just dropped and I feel that it's at a point I can afford. Especially now since I'm taking the extra hours on Saturdays, so it won't be setting me back too much. Besides, I just love gadgets and since I'm in Korea, I might as well own a Korean one.

Bad news.

I knew that when I chose to work at a hagwon that it might eventually come to this, but I didn't want to really think about it. Starting next week, I will have to start working Saturdays. It's sad to think that today is the last Saturday afternoon that I get to enjoy for at least three months, but we'll see how it goes. It shouldn't be too bad since the classes start in the afternoon and I do get out early on Friday nights, but I won't be taking any weekend trips for a while. At least I'll be saving myself some money.

I had the strangest elevator ride yesterday.

I got into the elevator of my building yesterday to go up to my room. At the same time, guy carrying two large plastic bags of live eels up to the seafood restaurant on the second floor of my building. When the elevator stopped he went to pick up the bags of eels but one of them opened up a little bit and three live eels spill out onto the elevator floor. The eels were squirming around, the guy was trying to pick them up without spilling any more eels onto the ground. The whole time I was just holding the elevator door open so he could just get out and I could be on my way. The whole ordeal took about four minutes and the only thing that I got from the whole experience is that I'm never going to eat at that seafood restaurant.

What I learned in Korean Today:

Hangul/Pronunciation

• 술고래/sool go-rae

Translation

• alcohol whale

While the literal translation means alcohol whale, it's an expression for someone who drinks a lot.

Oh, those fickle teenage hearts.

While at work yesterday, one of my middle school students was sitting by himself during break messing with his iPod. I took a look at his screen and saw that he was on Kakao Talk, a messaging app that Koreans use. I asked him who he was messaging and he said his girlfriend. I told him that was a nice thing to do and all he said, "Not nice. I quit girlfriend." At this point I couldn't help but laugh. Then I told him that he should have at least called her, but he told me that it would have been too hard and that break time was almost over and that we had to get back to class. I guess he's got his priorities figured out.

I went to Gyeongbokgung this weekend.

경복궁 is that big palace near Seoul City Hall.  Everyone who's been to Korea has probably gone there before.  I thought it was really surprising that I've never been before, but when I went on Sunday, everything seemed so familiar that I may actually have been before but I can't remember for sure.  It's weird since I don't have any pictures of it, which doesn't sound like me at all.

Anyway, it's a nice place.  I didn't really research anything about it before I went and we didn't go on a tour of it, so I can't tell you any cool historical facts.  However, it was a pleasant way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon.  I'll be posting pictures as soon as I drag them off my camera.

What I learned in Korean today:

Hangul/Pronunciation

• 모든 여자 사랑해요, 하지만 내 첫 사랑이에요/mo-deun yeo-ja sa-rang-hae-yo, ha-jee-man neh cheot sa-rang-ee-eh-yo

Translation

• I love all women, but you are my first love.

Korean Weddings

Like when comparing all Korean things to American things, weddings in Korea are different.  That's not entirely fair to say since in America there are a ton of different wedding ceremonies.  However, Korean weddings are peculiarly Korean.

First of all, weddings usually take place in a wedding hall, which are large elaborate places made jsut for weddings.  After entering, you usually give your gift (money in an envelope and no less than 30,000 won) and take pictures with the bride until the ceremony starts.  The ceremony goes by pretty fast and it's surprisingly casual.  Most of the parts are there, like the wedding entrance and the exchanging of vows.  There are a few things missing though, like groomsmen and bridesmaids.  There are also a few things that are specifically Korean as well, such as the couple bowing to their parents.  After the ceremony, everyone stands around for pictures and then after that.  Instead of a big reception, everyone goes to a buffet that is in the same building, which is probably the best part of the wedding.

This is what I've learned from going to my first Korean wedding, but from what I've heard from others, it's pretty much a good representation of most of them.

I'm going to Jeju.

In Korea, there are a ton of claw machines and other various games that you can play to win prizes. I spend a lot of money on these things. I never really gain anything of use, but it finally paid off last week when I won a free ticket to Jeju. It was pretty good since I was just wandering around drunk waiting for my friends to choose the next bar we were going to. I also won it in my first try, which is great, since I can usually spend about 3,000 won if I think I really can win the prize. So now I have an open-ended ticket to go to Jeju and the weather is finally starting to look nice. Hurray for me.

Korean kids are ruthless.

I was teaching class the other day and one of the kids farted. It was pretty bad. The entire class spent an entire two minutes blaming each other. They even blamed me, at which point I said that all of them farted and it doesn't really matter cause they all stink anyway. Well, after the two minutes of heated debate, the class decided that it must have been Chris, one of my students, that actually farted. At this point, Chris starts crying. Not bawling in the middle of class, but the minimal tear, head down on the desk crying. Of course, I'm trying to get the class back on task and reading, but of course, one of the kids has to point out the fact that Chris is crying, so all of the other kids have to try and get a better look to see if he is actually crying. I guess it's a lesson learned. Next time this happens, I'll just blame it on the air conditioner or something.

I've decided to take the TOPIK.

The TOPIK is the Test of Proficiency in Korean. I always say that I'm going to start studying Korean more, but it has been difficult. I have been wading through my books and trying to study for the past year. To be honest, I feel like that I have learned some stuff, but at the same time, I probably don't know as much as I could. My studies have been unguided and lack structure. For the most part, I've only been studying things that I thought were useful or things that I think are really funny. As a result, I don't know much vocabulary and I can say some pretty dumb sentences. Studying for the TOPIK should structure my studies more and give me direction. Now only if I could somehow give the rest of my life some structure and direction.

Noona cares for me.

I had dinner with my 누나 last night. Technically, she's my old co-teacher from last year, but I refer to her fondly by the Korean title for older sister. We went out to celebrate me getting back to Korea and getting my first paycheck. It was nice and all that. However, the thing that struck me the most though, was that after dinner, she took me to Home Plus and bought me a bunch of strawberries and some food to eat because she was worried that all I eat is instant ramen and pizza. I told her that I didn't need it, but she insisted anyway. It's so once knowing that someone cares.

Sometimes I feel bad about it.

I have been the most unproductive person on the face of the planet this week. I manage to stay in bed until 1:00PM everyday doing nothing. My room is slowly getting messier and messier. I am enjoying myself, but I really feel bad about it sometimes. The weekend is here though, so it's not like I'll manage to anything productive in the next three days, but on Monday, I swear I'll wake up early and get something accomplished.

What I learned in Korean today:

Hangul/Romanization

• 핸드폰 번호 주세요/haen-du-pon beon-ho joo-sae-yo.

Translation

• Lemme get those digits.

I'm actually surprised I didn't already know this.

My apartment is still coming together.

It has been a slow but sure process. It really is starting to look like a place where someone lives. When I first got here, the only thing in the place was a mattress, a pillow, and some sheets. I held up on buying some stuff since I didn't have too much money. I just got paid on Monday though, and now I'm spending money like I don't give a fuck. I haven't done much in terms of furniture, but I managed to buy a lot of other stuff. I bought some cooking supplies, dishes, and a dish rack last night. I'm considering buying a bigger bed off craigslist, but that will have to wait for now.

Things I learned at a Korean casino:

• It's probably not the best idea to arrive at 4:00AM on a Saturday.
• How to play 3-Card Poker
• You can lose a lot of money really fast playing 3-Card Poker
• That 100,000 won in 500 won coins is pretty heavy.
• There are a lot of different Asians in Korea and they all like to gamble.
• It's easier to get drinks at Korean casino than it is in Vegas.
• I probably shouldn't gamble for a while.

It's been a good week.

I finally got reimbursed for my flight to Korea, so now I don't have to worry about money [at least for a little while].  On top of that, I picked up a cell phone today.  It's great since I don't have to make the ten minute walk to the closest pay phone.  The only thing between me and the weekend are the two classes I have today and the two that I have tomorrow.  If I can get through these classes without a problem, I'll be able to enjoy my weekend in peace.

Is this serendipity?

I've decided that I'm in love with the girl that works at the Baskin Robbins by my apartment.  There's no real reason, but that's just how it is.  Anyway, I took an umbrella from my classroom the other day and since it's raining today, I took my first real look at it.  It's pink and it is designed with a lot of desserts, but I just realized today that it's actually an umbrella from Baskin Robbins.  It's almost as if this girl is protecting me from the radioactive rain that's falling from the sky.

It's nice to be loved unconditionally.

I dropped by my old school over the weekend to drop by and see my old co-workers.  I arrived right before classes ended and while I was walking through the halls, classes pointed out their windows and started screaming my name.  It was refreshing to see that the students remembered me and everything.  One of the students even asked me if I liked chicken (which I someone used to ask me once a week when I worked at Yeonhak) and I almost teared up.  All in all, I'm pretty glad that I've affected their lives somehow and that I'll be remembered by a few hundred Korean kids.

I started watching Korean dramas again.

I finally have some free time, so I decided to start watching dramas again. Currently, I'm watching Dream High [드림 하이]. It was one of the highest ranking ones so I just decided that I would watch it. It might be the fact that IU is in it, or that there's so much song and dance, but I find it to be pretty enjoyable. I finished episodes 1-8 over the weekend and I'm hoping to finish by the end of next week. I don't have a TV, or anything else to do with all my free time, so I'll probably watch a few more dramas in the coming months.

Something wicked this way comes.

My mom just arrived in the Philippines today. That's not really a big deal since she goes to the Philippines every year. However, this year, she's planning on visiting me in Korea. It's not definite yet, but I'm really hoping that she doesn't. I really just don't want her to see what my life is like in Korea. She will have a lot to say about how late I stay up and how often I drink. Im already trying to think of which hotel I should put her in so she doesn't have to stay with me, but I probably wouldn't be able to do that since I know she wouldn't be able to fend for herself. Don't get me wrong, I really do love my mom, and it probably wouldn't be that bad, but something in the back of my mind keeps telling me that there will be hell to pay when she steps foot in this country.

It's the small things that make me feel like I accomplished something.

So in the past two days, I managed to finally get some stuff done.  To be honest, I didn't do anything huge, but they all sort of add up.  Here's what I managed to get done:

• I got my Alien Registration Card.  I did give in the paper work last week, but I finally got it last night.  I didn't even have to go to the immigration office this time around.
• I bought some groceries.  It looked really sad with my fridge empty, but now I do have some snacks in there.
• Opened up an account with Shinhan Bank.  I do have an account with Nonghyup, but due to some accounting things, my job wanted me to open up a new account.  I still haven't figured out the online banking part, but I'm sure I'll figure that out soon enough.
• I bought a notebook for studying Korean.  Now that I'm sort of getting into the swing of things, I'll be able to find time to really sit down and start working on my shit.

I'm sorry Alvin.

One of my students, Alvin, wasn't doing his work today in class. I pulled him aside and asked him what was wrong and he told me that one of the other kids threatened to beat him up after class. So, during break time I pulled Danny, another student, aside and asked him what's going on and told him that fighting is bad and whatever. Anyway, at the end of class I started telling Alvin that I talked to Danny, but Alvin just goes, "Teacher, it was John that said he was going to kill me." My bad, Alvin.

I am so glad that it's the weekend.

With all the hubbub of training and trying to survive my first week of classes, I haven't had much time for myself.  Luckily, I don't have any classes on Saturday or Sunday this term, so I'll have the next two days just to relax and enjoy Korea.  My plans for tonight are still up in the air, but I'll definitely be in Seoul tomorrow.  I don't know where in Seoul I'll be or what exactly it is I'll be doing, but I'm set on doing something reckless.

An e-mail from a fifth grader:

Subject: WENDY

hello i'm wendy.(group3) am.....it's ypur email? is it right?

 

I had to make an e-mail account for work so kids could contact me if they have any questions.  This is the first one I've received.

I've acquired my first piece of furniture.

I found a huge chair sitting out in front of my building waiting to be hauled away last night so I decided to take it up to my room. While it isn't the nicest chair, and I still need to get some antibacterial wipes to clean it up before I use it, I consider it one small step to making this year in Korea a little more comfortable.

The view from my apartment

Things that I live near that make me happy:

I'm generally happy with where I live in Bucheon.  I'm in a central location, unlike last year where I had to take a bus to get anywhere cool.  This year, I can walk to a ton of different places, but there are a few that make me especially glad to be where I live:

• The Bus Terminal: I don't live in walking distance to a subway station, but it doesn't really matter that much since I can walk to the bus terminal.  I haven't made a trip out to Seoul from where I live yet, but it shouldn't be too bad with the buses so close.  Also, there's some places to eat right at the terminal, which is always nice.
• A 24-hour Home Plus: I seriously like Home Plus.  It might even have to be one of my favorite places in all of Korea.  It's great that I have access to this one at all times of the day, especially since my work hours are so goofy.
• A 24-hour McDonald's: This is technically a part of Home Plus, but deserves its own mention.  I managed to stay away from McDonald's since I've been back, but I caved yesterday while running some errands after work.  Having a double bulgogi cheeseburger within 10 minutes from my apartment might be a problem in the long run, but for now, I'll consider it a blessing.
• Work:  Not having to commute to work is is awesome.  It might not sound like much, but having grown up in California and having to drive everywhere, this is a pretty big thing for me.
• Brothels: It turns out that I live in the red light district of Bucheon.  Everytime I see a little card with a hooker's number on it, I can't help but giggle.
• A Ping-Pong gym (탁구장): I haven't started lessons yet, but there are two places that I live right next to that I can get lessons from.  One of them is a pretty nice gym and it's right across the street from my place, so I'm hoping to grab some lessons over there once I have time.
   

The troubles of doing laundry

So I just finished my first batch of laundry since coming back to Korea. It was a pretty big pain. Since my apartment didn't come furnished, I had to go out and buy a laundry rack last night after work from the 24hour Home Plus that I live by. It was a bitch to carry a four foot rack and 2 kilos of laundry detergent back to my apartment. Once I got back to my apartment, I realized that I could have just bought the detergent downstairs at the convenience store instead of carrying it. Once I got back to my apartment, it took me twenty minutes to translate all the settings that were on the damn washing machine. Even after I did that, I wasn't able to open the plastic bag of laundry detergent with my bare hands, so I had to run back down to the convenience store just to get a pair of scissors. With the rack, scissors, and laundry detergent, my first load of laundry ended up costing me about 40,000₩. Too bad I fell asleep while the machine was still going so I woke up to a batch of funky smelling clothes that I had to wash all over agin.

I almost forgot why I wanted to work hagwon in the first place.

Seriously, it was the hours. I'm up right now since I wanted to go over my lesson plan for today, but I don't actually have to be at work until 3:00. For someone who stays up at odd hours, like me, this is so great. I literally could have went to bed at 4:00AM and woken up at noon. Also, there's a 24-hour Home Plus down the street with a McDonalds so now I even have cool stuff to do at that time through the week.

I'm still settling in.

It's now been a week since I've arrived and I'm still trying to get used to the fact that I'm back in Korea. I'm still getting used to my new apartment and I'm hoping that my first class tomorrow will go smoothly. I haven't hd much time to go out and meet with everyone, but after a week or two, I should be able to get into a solid routine and free up some time. By then, I should be able to get a cell phone too, so that'll help meeting up with everyone.

Also, I did some exploring and I found that I'm within walking distance to a Pizza Maru, so it looks I can continue my Sunday afternoon pizza ritual.

I just moved in.

Well, I managed to pass training and I just moved in to my apartment on Bucheon. I was really nervous about my place, but it turns out that I didn't have to be. I'm situated. In a pretty decent part of Bucheon. If you're familiar with the area, I'm near the Hyundai department store, within walking distance to Rhythm and Booze. I am a little familiar with the area, so that's nice. The room is unfurnished though. I only have a bed for the moment, but luckily, it's a pretty nice place. It's a lot bigger than my old apartment. It might take some effort, but I'll have it feeling like home in no time.

A funny story from orientation

Earlier at orientation today, I said, "If I fail orientation and get sent home, my mom is going to beat the shit out of me." The instructor thought that I said that if I failed that I was going to beat the shit out of her. It turned into a complicated situation where she pulled me aside from class and addressed me about it. I'm still not sure if she actually believes me. It's probably not that funny since she still has the power to fail me.

It's a hard knock life.

So training really began today. It was a little overwhelming, honestly. It isn't as bad as some of the reviews of Chungdahm make it out to be though. The whole program is a lot different than working at a public school. For one thing, the students are going to be a lot more advanced. I'm being trained to teach kids that are in the middle levels of the program and kids that are at the more advanced parts. The stuff that I'll be teaching the kids is way beyond anything that's in the national curriculum. Even the mid-level lessons that I'm looking at are a ton harder than a sixth grade public school lesson. For tomorrow's mock lessons, there's a shit ton of prep that I still have to take care of. I'll probably be up for a few more hours just working on it. It's going to be rough, but I do want to make sure that I look alright on my first day.

As a side note, I got a medical exam yesterday and I apparently have high blood pressure.

I'm here safe and sound.

I'm at my hotel here in Gangnam where I found a wi-fi signal. Orientation officially starts tomorrow, so today I have a free day to go around and do some random stuff. I still have to go over some of the training videos, but I'll drop by a pc bang and do that later. For now, I just want to get reacquainted with land of the morning calm.

THE TIME IS UPON US.

In about 12 hours, I'll be leaving for the airport to fly to San Francisco, and then from there to Incheon Airport.  I've been pushed for time the past week since I've been trying to finish reading my books before I left.  I managed to get through four novels, so that was a success.  Unfortunately, there's still a shit ton left for me to do.  There was also a little scare today about my flight getting canceled due to a mechanical issue on the plane.  That's been resolved though by getting on an earlier flight.  Now I'm leaving LAX at 7:00 in the morning.  It's not that very far from right now, but I'm going to have a long night ahead of me.

Quick update on the whole Korea thing

My is booked and my visa is all taken care of. I'll be leaving Friday morning from LAX and arriving in Incheon on Saturday in the evening. There's still some stuff that I need to pick up and there's all that packing that needs to get done, but I have the next few days to take care of that. Hopefully I can fit in all the stuff that I want to do before Friday.

This is all happening really fast.

I'm going to the Korean consulate tomorrow to pick up my passport. I'm probably also going to book my flight too. Things are going to go by so fast. I'm planning on leaving the 11th, since I have to be in Korea by the 14th for orientation. After booking my flights I'm going to see if I have enough time to organize something so I can see everyone that is still in Korea before training starts on the Monday. That's still on the bottom of the list of things I need to take care of though. Eating as many burritos as I can before I go is what's really important.

It's about time.

I haven't booked my ticket yet, but I will be back in Korea in under two weeks.  My recrutier said that I shouldn't book a ticket until Chungdahm gets back to me about my visa.  That shouldn't be too long and going to the Korean consulate won't be too big of a hassle.  I am pretty relaxed so far, probably because I've been meaning to go back since the day I got here.  There's still some stuff I need to take care of, but once all that's done, I'm ready to start another year in Korea.

I've been reading.

The past few days I've been laying in bed just reading, not comic books or some of the random shit I usually read, but actual books.  Of course, I'm not reading any deep and meaningful literature, but fantasy novels.  I'm already on book five of the Wheel of Time saga by Robert Jordan and I forgot how good it was.  It's been nice just reading and I forgot how good it was to just sit down with a book.  Of course, it helps that Borders is going out of business and all the books are on sale.  I'm not surprised that the company is going under, but it is a little sad.  Hopefully Barnes and Noble can stay afloat.

My days in America are numbered.

I've signed my contract and my job is secured. The only thing left to do is wait until I get the documents back so I can get my visa. Then book the ticket there. These next few weeks are probably going to go by real quick, but I'll be glad to get out of bed and start working again. I'm not entirely sure what the training is going to be like and how soon I'll get into the work routine, but I really am looking forward to it. I'm thinking about going up a few days early to just spend some time hanging out. It should just be nice to just spend a few days in Korea without anything to worry about. Hopefully, I'll be able to get a few more details by the end of the week so I can start figuring all this out.

Bucheon is a go.

I officially accepted the offer and signed the contract. I was told to wait for my recruiter before buying tickets, but I was told by the hagwon that I had to be in Korea on March 13th for training. I have a few reservations about the job because there are a few negative reviews online, but I'm sure those are exceptions. From what I was told, the Bucheon Chungdahm branch is a big location. The rep said there are close to thirty native English teachers already there, so that will be a little different than I'm used to. It should be good though. I'm just happy that I'll be back in Korea soon sharing a drink with familiar faces. Especially Ryan, who has doubted that I'll be even going back to Korea since the day I left.

Also, as a side note, is there anything that anybody needs from America that I can bring? I left a lot of stuff in Seoul with a friend so I should have a lot of luggage room still. If anything, just let me know and you can get stuff sent to my house here in California and I can bring it over when I leave.

It's on in Bucheon!?

Looks like my recruiter came through and there's a spot open in Bucheon for me. I'll be accepting the offer and everything should work out fine. Seems like everything did work out after all. Actually, there's even another position in Incheon that was worth considering, but but Bucheon is a sure bet. If all goes according to plan, then I will be in Korea by March 13th. Good job me.

Hopefully, this is temporary.

Since my contract fell through and I'm currently unemployed, my life has lost all semblances of normality.  I am now going to bed at 4:00AM and waking up at 2:00PM.  I can't remember for sure, but I think the only time that I have left home the past two days is to go out and buy cigarettes.  I've been filling up all my free time with reading comics and applying for jobs.  I've even been too lazy to go out and play Magic the Gathering.  I'm hoping this will pass.  I mean, life won't let me do nothing forever.

I'm a balloon sculptor.

I don't get the chance to bring this up very often, but it's true. I'm pretty good at it too. I don't really remember what drove me to get started, but I'm going to get back into it. I think it's going to be really funny when my mom walks in the door and finds fifty balloon animals on the floor.

I got a contract for Korea but...

I'm turning it down.  It's in Cheongju.  I'm not going to knock on it since I haven't been there, but I'm really intent on this whole Seoul thing.  I'm sort of flexible on it though.  I'm alright with Incheon again or anywhere else in the Seoul metropolitan area, but Cheongju is just too far.  I just e-mailed my recruiter that I won't take that contract, so I'll have to wait and see what she says.  It seems like all I ever do is wait and see what happens.

Tila Tequila made a sex tape.

I guess this isn't really news, since it's not really surprising or anything.  I'm not even really shocked that it's a lesbian video either.  The only reason that I think this is relevant, is I sort of look up to her in a way and it's because she got popular solely through the fucking Internet.  I bet you'll remember logging into myspace a few years ago and asking yourself, "Who the fuck is this little Asian girl and why is everyone friends with her?"

Lesson learned: I need to a better job at whoring myself out.

Another update on the whole Korea thing.

I just got my FBI criminal background check in the mail today. This document was seriously a bitch to get. Anyway, I'm getting it apostilled tomorrow and mailing that shit to my recruiter, so I'm one step closer to getting back to the land of the morning calm. Since there was such a big delay with my papers, it's not definite that I'll be going back this month. My recruiter said either at the end of February or in March. I'm really hoping it's going to all work out. In a month's time, I'm really hoping to be getting settled into Seoul with a bottle of soju in my hand. Either way, since I got the documents, even if this recruiter falls through, I should be able to pick up a job on the fly. Anyway, for the rest of the time that I have left here in California, I'll be spending it mostly on eating burritos and drinking the finest American beers.

I'm just glad that both teams had fun.

I'm not a huge sports fan, but it isn't like the biggest sporting event of the year goes by and I don't notice. I have to say that it was a pretty good game. I'm sure that Big Ben is never going to hear the end of this, since he's a rapist and all that. I'm from LA though, and we have Kobe, so it's not like I can say much. At least he wins though.

I thought that the Black Eyed Peas was a weird choice for the half-time show, but their performance was alright. Usher was a pretty sweet touch. The commercials were just okay. I'm not sure about godaddy using Danica Patrick, but I don't like godaddy anyway. I'm excited for Captain America though.

I've lost my way.

A little over a year ago, I bought my domain and decided that I would become an Internet superstar.  At the time, I had no real idea what that really meant.  Now I have a better understanding what is that I'm trying to accomplish, but it seems that I've lost sight of that goal.  With my posts becoming more and more infrequent and my readership down [yes, I keep track of these things], I realized that I'm doing something wrong.  Part of the reason is that I've been caught up with work, but more importantly, it's that my life has been so boring lately.  I'm sure that many of you have noticed that all my posts have been about how great I am at Magic the Gathering.

So dear readers, I am going to make a better effort to post more interesting things, probably tomorrow.

I'll get first place one of these days.

So it's Tuesday afternoon and I'm getting ready to go to another Magic the Gathering tournament.  For the past two weeks, I've pretty much gone to every Magic event that I've had time to go to.  I'm doing pretty well for myself now.  Not only do I win more often than I lose, but for the past two weeks I've finished 2nd or 3rd in every event.  However, I've never finished first and it just gets me so angry.  I know what I'm having issues with (U/W control and the Mirror, for those who know what I'm talking about), but since I don't know anyone that runs those decks personally, I'm having issues practicing for them.  I just want to take first in an event before I leave for Korea.  How else can I make my momma proud?

The sweet joys of being unemployed again.

My last day of work was Thursday and since then I've been taking advantage of all my extra time. However, there's only so many hours I can sleep a day. In truth, there's probably more that I could be doing, but a lot of it hinges on getting the okay for Korea. I'm still really worried about it since I still don't have my background check or my contract, but I'm sure it will turn out okay. If anything, I'll have all my documents and just go with a different agency. This will all work out in the end, hopefully.

MIRRODIN BESIEGED COMPLETE SPOILER!

Wizards just posted it online.  You can check it out here if you're interested.  I don't think I've been this excited since Harry Potter VII.

But how am I going to make money?

Thursday is going to be my last day at Cooking.com.  It's been a pretty enjoyable time working there, but I'm definitely not going to miss all the traffic I had to drive through.  I still haven't heard when I'm going back to Korea, so I don't know why I decided to quit, but whatever.  I'll at least have some time to do nothing for a while.

Finally, vindication.

It's been a rough time playing Magic the Gathering.  About a month ago I played in my first tournament and had a decent turn out.  Since then, it's been a month of straight frustration.  I've been dropping money on cards that haven't helped, changing strategies, and just flat out losing matches.  However, today I dropped twenty on cards, sleeved them up, and went to tonight's Friday Night Magic.  Then I fucking kicked ass and took second place in an 18 person tournament.  The best part though, is that I beat out this one dude who qualified for the pro tour.  That's a huge accomplishment itself, but what makes it really great is that the dude is a fucking dick.  First off, he didn't shake hands at the start of the game because he said he was getting sick, then he made fun of my side burns [what a dickhead], and when I did beat him, he said I got lucky.  I GUESS IT'S LUCKY THAT I DRAW CARDS I PUT IN MY DECK IN THE FIRST PLACE.  Fuck that.  Whatever, I went undefeated and then split for 2nd in the last round.  It feels good to be a winner again.

Now I'm actually really worried.

It's getting closer and closer to February and with every day that goes by, I get a little more and more nervous. Right now, the issue is getting my FBI background check. There was some issue with the payment, so now it's going to take a little while longer. Another thing is that I haven't heard about placement, which might hinge on me getting that fucking background check done. I'm going to submit all my papers again tomorrow since it's my day off, and hopefully I'll be able to get my ass to Korea without any other issues.

I got worked.

I went to my first Friday Night Magic last night. I didn't really know what to expect, nut apparently it's competitive as fuck. I had four matches and I didn't win any of them. I'm pretty fucking pissed, but whatever. I saw a lot of different deck builds and I got some solid advice on my own shit, so I'm only going to get better. It sucks that I'm taking losses now, but the road to the throne is paved with thorns.

Besides, I just got paid and I'm going to go drop fifty dollars on cards.

Anime Los Angeles is this weekend.

It's probably the only other anime convention in California besides Anime Expo and since I'm not going to that, I'll be attending this. I went a few years ago and I had fun. It's getting better every year too. I haven't really looked at the event schedule for this year and I haven't really been keeping up with what's going on so I don't know what to expect this year. If anything, it'll be enough to take pictures of cosplayers and pick up a few trinkets.

I'll be back in Korea soon.

I just got some of my documents apostilled for Korea and I'm about to mail them in. The thought of getting back to Korea is finally starting to settle in. It's a little exciting really. Granted, I'm not as nervous about it as I was the first time, but now that it's getting closer and closer to February I am getting a little worried. For one thing, I haven't been told where I'm going to be teaching at. Like always, I'll just hope it'll work out.

Goals for 2011:

• Save money - It's not like I haven't been saving money or anything, but I know that I can save more.  The real reason behind managing my funds is for when I eventually tour Asia in 2012 when my contract in Korea ends.
• Enjoy Korea - I did travel this past year, but I didn't see a lot of Korea.  Part of it was because I knew I was going to be in Korea another year, but the other part of it was just being lazy.  I guess I'll actually go to Busan and Jeju this year.
• Eat less junk food - It's not really an effort to lose weight or anything.  I do a lot of things that are bad for my health and I'm trying not to die at age 38.
• Work on my future - Like trying to get into grad school or some shit.
• Get better at my hobbies - There are a lot of hobbies, but I feel like I'm not really good at them.  I guess this also means that I shouldn't pick up any new ones so I spread my free time too thin.